While her background and achievements seem completely normal, Lucie’s background and journey in martial arts is riddled with traumatic events including beatings from local girl gangs when she was younger, sexual harassment in her career, an abusive relationship.

She had her first taste of martial arts in her early 20’s when she joined her architect father in Malaysia and learned to compete and win. She continues to compete today even though she has crippling and chronic arthritis in her hips and can barely walk. Somehow, she is able to perform the kata in competition through the pain. Learn how Lucie overcomes all through martial arts and goes from trauma to triumph in this captivating interview.

READ MORE ABOUT HER STORY AND BIOGRAPHY BELOW: 

Background

My background is fairly traumatic so I’ve tried to make this a brief as possible just to give you an idea and flavor of who I am.   Currently I am one of the few high-grade females 6 th DAN in an association called SKIF which belongs to Hirokazu KANAZAWA and his family who travel the world teaching and grading students.  I run my own dojo and have done for 17 years.

I started karate as a teenager after I had been continuously beaten by gangs of girls at the local youth centre. The beatings were in groups and I was left badly injured standing little chance with multiple attackers.  I studied for about 18 months when I was attacked again but a group who held me down and kicked me repeatedly without mercy.

To my surprise, as only a yellow belt, I managed to block several of the kicks an escape, that was my turning point as I realized the self-defense part of karate really did work.  I was attacked again a year or so later and this time I slapped the girl back so hard she fell to the floor and I was dragged off but I knew I was getting stronger.

I studied for many years until I reached Shodan and then I came back looking for my attackers.

News had travelled that I was back in town and by chance I saw one of my attackers walking along the same road as me. I fixed my stare on her and went in a straight line towards her, but she quickly crossed the road and hurried away. I knew I had reached my pinnacle and was strong enough to fight all my bullies.  I did not lower myself to pursue her. I later went on to continue training to the highest level I could reach.

This was the start of my journey.

Learning to Compete & Win 

I went to join my father in Malaysia and was given a fantastic opportunity to train with the Malaysian National Team that consisted of 3 training sessions a day for 6 days a week.  I was at peak when I won the Asian nationals and became Malaysian national champion returning to the UK with many fantastic experiences and trophies.

I joined the police force in the 80s and went through a really unfortunate time of sexual harassment where I was victimized and bullied but refused to give in.  I eventually left the force and re-trained as a teacher.

I met a man, moved in and had 3 children with him, but my time with him was turbulent as he was an alcoholic and violent. I really believe if I had not left him that I would not be here today. My head kept me sane and my martial arts training kept me alive at that time as he was a very violent drunk.  I left him and moved away to raise my children by myself as a single parent, which was the hardest part of my life but the most rewarding. I continued to train, paying a babysitter twice a week and moving up through the ranks of black belt grades.

This brought its own set of problems with it as I constantly came across male ego, control freaks and out of date leaders living in the past. I felt stunted and suppressed by it and began to resent the people in charge of me.  I found an outlet through a friend who re-introduced me back to karate competitions and I was able to commence with sport karate again which sent my karate career soaring.  I joined a group called the AMA and after many years, was accepted onto the England Squad and joined the team to compete all over the World. I have now competed in over 7 World championships and several European championships as well as hundreds of National competitions

I started this journey when I was 49 years old!

Championships 

I won my first World Championships in 2015 in Slovenia when I got Gold in Kata, Silver in team kumite and Bronze in Individual kumite. In 2019, I won my second World Championships in Bratislava in Weapons kata. I have also won several international competitions in Malta with Musical kata and weapons kata.

My competition career led me to value myself, realize I am worth, win against the odds, and never give up.

I have achieved in kata, kumite, weapons, and musical, not just specialized on one area.

Physical Limitations

I have struggled for 8 years with two arthritic hips, a collapsed Achilles heel, and a slipped disc but I learned to manage them and found my own way to train.

Inspiration

I hope my story can be an inspiration for other women who come up against the odds and do not have the confidence to continue. It is all about setting the mind correctly and gaining self-esteem through your own actions and not from the affirmations of others.

I’m now in my late 50’s, but still training hard and not ready to give up yet.

My bullies are all old and unfit and unhealthy and I am so much better than they are now so I must offer thanks to them because I would not have travelled this path if I had not been bullied so badly.

Andrea’s motivational books: